Device for mounting and/or removing flexible members



April 22, 1958 T. M. DE FORE 2,831,379

DEVICE FOR MOUNTING AND/OR REMOVING FLEXIBLE MEMBERS Filed Jan. 5, 1955 mvemolz HTTOQNEUS rates DEVICE FOR MOUNTING AND/R REMGVING FLEXEBLE MEMBERS Thomas M. De Fore, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application January 5, 1955, Serial No. 480,003

6-Claims. (Cl. 81-3) atent O ing and removing such blades from the handles or mountpossibility of infection either to patients or to medical personnel through the use of blades that have not been properly sterilized or have been dulled or damaged in previous use. Despite the advantages in the use of detachable blades there are certain disadvantages, namely,

in the mounting and removing of blades from the support or :handle. The handles are customarily provided with .;a grooved key, and the blade is provided with a slot containing a narrow portion that is adapted to slidably move in a wedging manner within the grooves of the key, and a larger portion that fits over an end or abutment of the :key so as to securely hold the blade .on the handle. In mounting the blade on the key, a certain amount of flexure of the blade is necessary, and frequently blades are extremely narrow and are .clifficult to handle. 'In a surgical operation it is highly undesirable that the blades be handled before use and in fact it is preferred that they be mounted on the handle in a wholly sterile condition, which is not possible if human hands touch the blade. Moreover, it is impractical for .a-rnedical attendant wearing sterile rubber gloves to handle knife blades and properly mount them on the supporting handles. Therefore there is and has been a substantial need particularly in the medical profession for some form of mechanism for mounting and removing the detachable blades with respect to their supporting handles.

In the present invention 1 have provided a forceps which is particularly adapted for mounting and removing resilient blades with respect to a .-supporting key. The forceps including a pair of opposed cooperating jaws of a width that is at least as great as the length of a slot in the blade and the meeting edges of the jaws extend in a aws are provided with teeth. Some blades now available onthe market aresubstantially fiat throughout while others are provided with a reinforcing portion along the I 7 2,831,379 Patented .Apr. 22, 1958 ice back of the blade that tends to prevent flexure of the blade. For those blades that are manufactured with a reinforced backing, grooves are provided in the opposing jaws of the forceps to embrace the backing piece and f rm a me n of gripping the blade along the backing. Of those blades that are not provided with a backing, there is a relatively .narrow edge of the blade on one' side of the slot. and to prevent the forceps from extending too far into the blade and covering a portion of the slot, aligning lugs or pins are carried on the inner surface of one of the jaws of the forceps that form limiting stops with respect to the rear edge of the blade. Thus the forceps can be used with either type of blade and is so arranged as to .grip the blade along its rear edge,..and through the medium of thecurved cooperating surfaces bl the jaws, to bend or distort the blade so as to facilitate either mounting or removing the blade relative to the supporting key. I

An object of the invention .is to provide a simple device to facilitate mounting and/ or removing flexible blades on a supporting member wherein the mode of attachment of the blade to the supporting member is through a ceoperating slot and ,key arrangement.

Another object is to provide a device for mounting and/or removing a resilient slotted blade with respect to a supporting key by flexing the blade in such a manner as to facilitate movement of a portion thereof with respect to the key.

Another object is to provide a device of the class de scribed containing a pair of curved jaws for gripping the flexing blade together with suitable grooves for gripping a blade havinga r eenforcing back edge, andv suitable .abutments for limiting the gripping surfaces for blades that are not provided with a backing edge.

A further object is. to provide forceps for gripping and flexing a resilient blade containing a slotted portion, the forceps being formed with stop means tolimit the extent to which the bladelcan be gripped between its cooperating aws.

Other and further objects may become apparent from the following specification and claims, and, in the appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates the device forming the present invention used in combination with a sterilizing blade holder;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the front end of the forcepsused for mounting scalpel blades;

Fig. 3 is a front end view' of the forceps;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of' the forceps;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of'the jaws of the forceps gripping a blade that :is formed with a reinforced backing edge;

Fig. 7 is a view of the same device gripping a blade that is not provided with a reinforcing edge;

Fig. 8 is a perspective of a scalpel blade and the supporting handle; and, I

Fig. 9 illustrates the rnode in which the forceps distort a resilient blade for mounting .on a supporting key.

Having reference to the several figures of the draw .ing the invention will now he explained in detail. Referring ,first to Figs. '4 and 5. is disclosed in its entirety a forceps indicated by general reference character 10 composed of an upper leaf 12. and a lower leaf 14 that may if desiredfbe formed of a single strip of metal that has been bent upon itself at the ,rear fulcrum point 131 provide resilience forthe two leaves'iz and 14. As disclosed in "Fig. 4, both leaves extending from the fulcrum point 13 are broadened in steps indicated at 16 and 1-8 to provide a pair of relatively broad jaws consisting of an upper jaw '20 and a lower :jaw 22. Having reference tp quires a relatively firm grip of the blade.

Figs. 2 and 3, both the upper and lower jaws and 22 are formed in lateral curves indicated at 24, 26 extending across the full width of each of the jaws. These curves may be either a true are or a very wide obtuse angle, since the purpose of the curve is to flex the blade as shown in Fig. 9. Recesses 28 and 30 are provided in the upper jaw 22, and recesses 32, 34 are provided in the lower jaw 22. These several recesses are to provide laterally spaced opposing teeth which can bebest seen in Fig. 2 and form opposed gripping surfaces.

Also as best seen in Fig. 2, laterally extending slots 36, 38 are provided in the two jaws, in opposed relationship to each other for gripping a reinforced backing on the rear edge of a blade. A finger stop or abutment 40 is pressed outwardly on the upper lea-f 12 in rear of the jaw20.

As all blades are not provided with a. reinforcing rear edge that might be held in the recesses 36, 38, a pair of pins or limiting'members 42, 44 are mounted in the upper surface of the lower leaf 14 at a measured distance from the outer edge of the jaw and extend through relief openings 46, 48 in the upper leaf 12.

The function of the slots 36, 38 and the pins 42, 44 can be best seen in Figs. 6 and 7; In Fig. 6 is shown a blade 50 having a backing edge 52 that is held in the slots 36, 38, and in Fig. 7 a blade 54 is shown without a backing edge but which abuts the pin designated at 42.

Having reference to Fig. 8, is shown a fragmentary portion of blade handle 56 provided with a projection 58 on its forward end on which is formed a key indicated generally at 69. The key 60 is provided with lateral grooves 62 that extend horizontally from the forward end of the key 60 and terminate on either side thereof leaving a rounded rear end or abutment 64. Also shown in Fig. 8 is a blade 50 having a transverse reinforcing portion 52 on its inactive back edge, and a forward sharpened cutting edge indicated at 53. Blade 50 is provided with a slot indicated generally at 66 that includes narrow forward edges 68 adapted to slidably fit within the grooved portion 62 of key 60, and a larger rear end 70 that fits over the top of the key 60 and'extends around the rear abutment 64. Blades of this character or of the general character indicated at54 in Fig. 7 are commercial products widely used in the field of surgical appliances and are so constructed as to give a relatively rigid cutting surface on the forward end of handle 56.

By observing Fig. 8 it will be apparent that the mode of attaching the blade or 54 onto the key 60 is to insert the forward end of key 60 into the slot 66 and thence engage the groove 62 in the narrow slotted portion 68 of the blade moving the blade rearwardly with respect to the key until the larger portion 70 of the slot will snap over the rear end 64. This requires some flexure and movement of the blade, before the opening 70 is in a position to snap over the abutment 64, and therefore rel-Iaving reference to Fig. 9, is disclosed the function of forceps 10, and as there shown the blade has just been removed or is about to be mounted on the grooved key, and it will be apparent that by distorting the blade in an angle or curve the narrow slotted portion 68 is brought into alignment with the grooved portion 62 of the key, whence the blade may be moved in either direction with respect to the key. In mounting the blade on the key the blade is flexed until the narrowportion of the slot is in line with the groove 62 and is fully within the groove, whereafter the pressure is released'to permit the wider portion 79 to snap over the abutment 64. In removing the blade it is flexed to remove portion 70 from the abutment before sliding the blade from the key.

Having reference now to Fig. l,

numeral 7 2 indicates a sterilizing jar that contains an antiseptic solution. Ex-

tending from the center of container 72 is an elevating rod 74, that supports a plurality of arms 76 on which a supply of new blades 50 are mounted in such a manner that they can normally be held within the antiseptic solution, and lifted therefrom by means of the handle 74. On the forward end of each arm 76 is a slot 78 which is capable of holding one blade, that may be moved thereto by tilting and jiggling the handle 74. This brings a sterile blade to the end of the arm and within the slot 78 ready for use. As can be clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 8, the blades are relatively small in size and at best are difiicult to handle, but with the use of the forceps 10, as shown, the blade can be removed from slot 78 of arm 76 and mounted on the key 60 of handle 56 in the manner disclosed in Fig. 9. The forceps 10 can, of course, be kept in the jar of antiseptic 72 and a suitable opening 15 is provided for hooking the device over a suitable support, not shown, within the antiseptic solution.

When it is appreciated that surgical scalpel blades form a highly important function in any surgical operation, it will be understood that they must be in a thoroughly sterile condition, which is not practical if there is any touching of the blade by human hands. Furthermore, if the attendants are wearing surgical gloves it becomes extremely difficult to handle small blades, thereby making some form of tool essential. In some instances operators have resorted to the use of pliers or other tools and this has resulted in breakage of the blades. It will be further appreciated that when a blade has been used in a surgical operation and may have been used in removing infected tissue, it will be appreciated that the blade is highly dangerous and breakage thereof may cause parts or splinters that could and have been known to infect surgical personnel handling scalpels.

An advantage of the invention is the provision of a simple tool by which scalpel blades or other removable flexible members can be quickly and easily mounted on or removed from their supporting handles, and enabling this operation to be easily and quickly performed.

Another advantage resides in the provision of means for limiting the extent of the gripping surface so that the jaws do not extend over the slotted portion of the blade.

While I have shown and described a forcep that is particularly adapted for use with a surgical scalpel, it should be understood that the invention is equally applicable to blades used for other purposes, and that the forceps are subject to various changes in size or shape without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A surgical appliance for mounting and/ or removing a resilient linearly slotted surgical blade with respect to a linear supporting key, comprising a pair of normally open spring leaves connected at their inner ends, one of said leaves formed as a transverse edge at its outer end and containing a concave surface extending laterally of the leaf for a distance which is at least equal to a major part of the slotted portion of the blade, the outer ends of said leaves forming cooperating jaws which when closed engage the blade in a plane parallel with the slot therein and at one side thereof and temporarily bend the slotted portion of the blade without permanently deforming or damaging the same into a curve with respect to the key, to facilitate linear movement of the blade with respect to the key.

2. A surgical appliance for mounting and/ or removing a resilient linearly slotted surgical blade with respect to a linear supporting key, comprising a pair of normally open spring leaves connected at their inner ends, one of said leaves formed as a transverse edge at its outer end and containing a concave surface extending laterally of the leaf for a distance which is at least equal to a major part of the slotted portion of the blade, the outer ends of said leaves forming cooperating jaws which when closed engage the blade in a plane parallel with the slot therein and at one side thereof and temporarily bend the slotted portion of the blade without permanently deforming or damaging the same into a curve with respect to the key, to facilitate linear movement of the blade with respect to the key, and stop means carried by said one of said leaves spaced inwardly from the outer end thereof for engaging the rear inactive surface of the blade to limit the extent of the gripping surfaces of the jaws on the blade.

3. A surgical appliance for mounting and/ or removing a resilient linearly slotted surgical blade with respect to a linear supporting key, comprising a pair of resilient arms joined to each other at their inner ends, said arms diverging in width from their inner ends to weakly bias their outer ends to a normally open position, the outer ends of said arms being of uniform thickness between their lateral limits and terminating intransverse edges of a width at least equal to the length of the slotted portion of the blade, the outer ends of said arms laterally curved between their lateral limits and forming cooperating concave-convex jaws which when closed are adapted to engage the blade in a plane parallel to the slot therein at one side thereof and temporarily bend the slotted portion of the blade in an arc with respect to the key to facilitate linear sliding movement of the blade with respect to the key.

4. A surgical appliance for mounting and or removing a resilient linearly slotted surgical blade with respect to a linear supporting key, comprising a pair of resilient arms of substantially equal length jointed to each other at their inner ends, said arms diverging in width from their inner ends to weakly bias their outer ends to a normally open position, the outer ends of said arms being of uniform thickness between their lateral limits and terminating in transverse edges of a width at least equal to the length of the slotted portion of the blade, the outer ends of said arms laterally curved between their lateral limits forming cooperating concave-convex jaws which when closed are adapted to engage the blade in a plane parallel to the slot therein at one side thereof and temporarily bend the slotted portion of the blade in an arc with respect to the key to facilitate linear sliding movement of the blade with respect to the key, and stop means carried adjacent the outer end of the arm whose jaw is formed in a concave curve for engaging the rear inactive edge of the blade to limit the extent of the gripping surfaces of the jaws on the blade.

5. A surgical appliance for mounting and/ or removing with respect to a linearly grooved key a resilient scalpel blade formed with a linear slot therein and a linear reenforcing portion on its inactive edge, comprising a pair of spring arms joined to each other at their inner ends, said arms diverging in width from their inner ends to weakly bias their outer ends to a normally open position, the outer ends of said arms terminating in transverse edges of uniform thickness and of a width at least equal to the length of the slot in said blade, the outer ends of said arms laterally curved between their lateral limits forming cooperating concave-convex jaws, each of said arms on their inner cooperating surfaces containing a laterally extending groove spaced inwardly from the outer ends, said jaws when closed adapted to engage the blade in a plane parallel with the slot therein at one side thereof with thereenforcing portion of the blade held in said grooves and acting to temporarily bend the slotted portion of the blade in an arc with respect to the key to facilitate lateral sliding movement of the blade relative to the grooved portion of the key.

6. A surgical appliance for mounting and/or removing with respect to a grooved key a resilient scalpel blade formed with a slot therein and a reenforcing portion on its inactive edge, consisting of a pair of spring arms of equal length, joined to each other at their inner ends, said arms diverging in width from their inner ends to weakly bias their outer ends to a normally open position, the outer ends of said arms terminating in transverse edges of uniform thickness and of a width at least equal to the length of the slot in said blade, the outer ends of said arms laterally curved between their lateral limits forming cooperating concave-convex jaws, each of said arms on their inner cooperating surfaces containing a laterally extending groove spaced inwardly from the outer ends, and at least one stop member carried by one of the arms and extending at right angles to the other arm in rear of said grooves to limit the extent of the gripping surfaces of the jaws on the blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,062,464 Haynes May 20, 1913 1,767,175 Glass June 24, 1930 1,792,837 Harrison Feb. 17, 1931 2,151,871 Riemenschneider Mar. 28, 1939 2,514,802 Schuessler July 11, 1950 

